I’ve shot a fair few weddings by now, and I’ve discovered ways that can make a wedding day flow more smoothly, and ways that can cause you to want to chop your own head off. For example, forgetting your favorite/workhorse lens at home? Not a good way to start the day. A great way, however, to get pulled over when speeding home to retrieve said lens. But I digress. Onto the list!

*Disclaimer: I don’t claim to be an authority on anything about the wedding world- this list is just a compilation of things I’ve learned. If you agree with any of them, awesome! If not, that’s fine too!*

1) Check over your equipment bag the night before. Put everything you know you’ll need in one spot so you don’t leave anything behind.

2) Check your bag again. Just to be sure.

3) Have a second shooter. I can’t tell you what a blessing it is for me to have a second shooter with me. They give me breathing room and I don’t have to try to be in two places at once. If the bride is running late (and most do, it’s ok!), I can send my second shooter ahead to the church to be ready and waiting when we get there. Or if, for some reason, I miss a private, emotional moment between the mother and father of the bride during the couple’s first dance, my second shooter can be on the lookout.

4) Carry a ShootSac, Kelly Moore bag, or some sort of shooting bag. Before owning my ShootSac, I had to run back to my hefty camera bag any time I wanted to switch lenses, change a battery, replace my card, etc. Not only was it exhausting, but I was missing key moments due to the distance between myself and my equipment. Carrying a shooting bag allows you instant access to the things you need- no more running back and forth.

5) Ask the bride for a schedule well in advance of the wedding. I didn’t have a specific schedule for my first few weddings and it really threw me off. It was my fault for not asking for one, so now I know that a schedule is imperative.

6) Map out where you’re going to shoot. There’s nothing more stressful than failing to plan where you’ll shoot portraits, saying “we’ll just wing it,” only to arrive and find your only choice is a) a parking lot or 2) next to a dumpster. I make sure to get a solid location nailed down with my brides well before the wedding day.

7) Arrive early and scope out the location. I always plan to arrive to the bride’s hotel 20-30 minutes prior to our start time. It give me the chance to walk around and look for locations for portraits. It’s also a good time for me to give my second shooter the skinny on the day’s events, and to prep my ShootSac with lenses, batteries, cards and chapstick.

8) Have water on hand! You won’t realize how dehydrated you become until halfway through the reception when you feel like you may drop. Always keep a bottle of water and a granola bar on hand. If I arrive at the hotel at 12 and the reception doesn’t start until 5, I’m going to be famished by the time dinner is served. Keeping granola bars in the car makes sure I don’t go hungry.

What about you? Do you have any tips or tricks for making the day run as smoothly as possible?

Happy Friday!